Happy Mothers’ Day!

The Temptalia family is wishing all of our mothers–fur-moms, aunts, uncles, grandmothers, sisters, friends, mentors, and all those amazing people in our lives that nurture and foster our dreams, hopes, and passions–the most wonderful day of the year!   We love and appreciate you everyday of the year (okay, maybe not every day, sometimes you drive us batty!), but especially today with extra hugs and kisses.

3 Things My Mom Taught Me About Beauty

• Beauty comes from the inside. I actually wasn’t allowed to wear makeup growing up, so I didn’t get into makeup until I went away to college (so just when I turned 18).  While I didn’t get to learn about how to apply makeup from my mom, she taught me that beauty is about more than what you put on your face, and I think it’s a really great lesson to have taught to you over and over again growing up.
• Cross your fingers for good genes. My mother doesn’t wear makeup, and she doesn’t have any crazy skincare routine.  In fact, I’m not really sure what she did for skincare prior to me being a beauty blogger.  She only wears sunscreen when she goes to the beach and yet has very few signs of aging at 50+.  She just reminds me that for all the lotions and potions I buy, genetics may be the one thing I have to hang my hat on and just hope for.
• “Flaws” are signs of character. It took me almost twenty years to come to terms with my beauty mark (the larger one, by my nose).  For years, I waffled over whether to remove it or not.  I didn’t feel insecure about it until my early teens, because my parents never made me feel that way growing up.  They always referred to it as a beauty mark, which I think has a very different connotation than the word “mole.”  She would tell me it made me unique and more beautiful.

3 Reasons Why I Appreciate My Mom

• She is my mentor. My Mom has held C-level executive positions throughout her career.  She has a bachelor’s degree, three masters’ degrees, and is currently working on her PhD.  There is no one who motivates and encourages me more to continually better myself than her, because she truly does lead by example.
• Who I am today is because of her. (And my Dad!)  I owe so much to both my parents for instilling good values and beliefs that have helped guide me to make the right decisions to get me to where I am today.  I’m often asked how I’m able to balance everything, and I think it’s because of an internalized desire to prioritize, plan, and schedule.  When I was little, I had a big easel with a daily schedule written out–when to play, do homework, eat dinner, have a bath, and so on.
• She is my #1 supporter. There is nothing that I can’t do, according to my Mom.  She thinks I’m capable of anything I want to do and that kind of unwavering confidence and support has been key.  I’m not afraid to dream big or pursue lofty goals, because I know I have her support and she will always be there for me if I make a mistake.

Feel free to share any lessons you’ve learned and the like in the comments!

My mom actually was so touched my words/post this morning that she wanted to reply with some of her own:

What mother would not have cried reading her daughter’s note like the above? Christine, you made me cried buckets of happy tears reading it (and I am not the crying kind). I also feel compelled to join this conversation. I hope it is all okay with all of you, Christine’s readers, who are one of her sources of strength and inspiration.

First, to all the furry and non-furry sons and daughters, it is you that make us ‘mothers’ so a big heartfelt thank you!

The learning goes both ways, so I want to share the three things I learn from Christine:

• Love is given freely but respect is earned: it is often assumed that our kids must love and respect parents or vice versa. I love her unconditionally, but until I saw how she is building her life and the incredible amount of work, effort and dedication she puts in Temptalia, I also developed a deep respect for her. I can’t do what she does, and I really don’t know how she does it all! I learned that I need to earn her respect, too, as a parent and a human being. The love and the respect expressed in Christine’s note meant more than anything else. She is both a daughter and a friend whom I want to hang out with.
• Power of “Letting go”: this must be one of the hardest lesson that I learned. Let go of my ‘baby’ and let her take risks and create a new independent life, away from “mommy,” was so difficult. I hurt when I read nasty comments about her and had to resist answering those unkind and false accusations. When she tells me about some challenges that she needs to deal with, I want desperately to rush in and tell her to let me “take care of it.”   I learned to rise above these emotions and resist these temptations; and I would give her advice but leave her to make her own decisions. I learned that in letting go both she and I have become stronger people and our relationship seems to get stronger too. I must admit that this is very difficult thing to do since I still find it difficult as I am going through this with my younger daughter right now.
• Hope for the future of our world: when I was a child and my parents would push me to do this or that, , I would give them a hard time and resist their efforts! They would always tell me that it is because they want me “‘to be smarter and do better than them.”    I did not quite understand that lesson until I saw how Christine and my younger daughter are doing today – they both have achieved so much more than what I did at their age. Can you imagine how the future of the world will be when the current generation is so much more creative and smarter than the previous generation? And that gives me hope that the future of the world is in good hands.

A big virtual hug to all the sons and daughters out there!